yapping poodle scumbag ⛧ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
guitarpicks) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
logs2022-10-22 09:13 pm
guitarpicks) wrote in logs2022-10-22 09:13 pm
[closed] help, they need an adult
WHO: eddie munson & steve harrington
WHERE: stygia
WHEN: post-october festival event
WHAT: two dudes try house decorating in an abandoned building
WARNINGS: language (will update as more develop)
WHERE: stygia
WHEN: post-october festival event
WHAT: two dudes try house decorating in an abandoned building
WARNINGS: language (will update as more develop)
[ the hard thing about the afterlife is that it's also pretty much a capitalistic nightmare where you have to work to get all that you need and survive. there's also the added horror of the fact that coins here are the souls of the dead and they could be turned into coins any time.
eddie's not a fan.
it's almost worse than the upside down, which they could leave, but only marginally so because this place has monsters too.
without much money to their names, or any money in eddie's case because he doesn't know how he feels about earning souls, there's limited options in where to find accommodations. luckily, eddie's standards are on the ground. he's lived in a pretty messy trailer, slept in the back of his van when he needed too and rick's boathouse wasn't exactly comfortable. so when he looks around the abandoned apartment that he and steve broke into and then claimed as their own, he's not going to complain. he could. he has plenty of complaints but he also feels a higher level of anxiety than normal (a feat!) and guesses steve has more.
eddie's also trying not to wonder who it belonged to. this is totally temporary. totally.
heating is a problem and so is electricity but there's some furniture left behind, even if it's all worn down and there's no beds or anything to sit on. eddie picks up an abandoned pillow off the floor; it's seen better days and has a cat stitched into it. he holds it up to show steve. ] I know we said we need to make this place look more lively, man, but I vote we burn this thing for heat.
[ he turns the pillow back to look over the cat. it's hideous but in a sad way. maybe he's already getting attached. ]
no subject
It also means that whatever happens from here on out, Steve's got no intentions of watching Munson throw himself into some kind of situation where he could get hurt. Not when neither of them know how this connection works, or the depth of it, or what might happen if said connection was severed; yeah, he's not going to be taking any stupid, reckless chances. They are absolutely gonna Buddy System this one, whether he likes it or not, and that doesn't make him clingy or scared or whatever, okay, he's just ... cautious. And besides ... they're the only two from home so there's an automatic camaraderie that comes with it.
So they poke around one of the neighbourhoods looking for work, looking for shelter, and looking for anything that might give them a little more insight on the place they're supposed to be living in. And it's fine, you know, it works out when they come across this abandoned building that hasn't seen any signs of habitation for ages. There's even some old furniture, and it's not too far from the market. (You know what they say, right? Location, location, location.)
Still. This place is kinda shitty, even if he's trying so hard not to make a thing of it. You spend your whole life in a cozy, comfy mansion with want for nothing, and an old, abandoned, broken shack is a little bit of a culture shock, you know?
Steve makes an immediate face in reaction to the worn out, dust-filled pillow. ]
Uh-huh. No, we're absolutely burning that thing for heat. [ That's 100% agreement from Steve, no need to ask twice. ] Maybe we'll need to wave around some sage or something too. Who knows what kinda haunted shit might have lived in this place?
no subject
[ has he grown attached to that poor outcast of a pillow suddenly? especially after it gets a look thrown it's way. yeah, yeah he has. bite him. eddie is a man of contradictions.
but that's less important to him as he drops the pillow, tilts his head and tucks his arms behind his back as he meanders into steve's space. ] Sage the place, Harrington? From ghoulies and ghosties?
That sounds preeeeeetty close to black magic talk. [ he tilts his head in the other direction, lips curling upward and eyes lighting up as his tone takes a more teasing edge. ] If the good people of Hawkins could hear you now!
[ he laughs, shakes his head and then steps back to look around. ] It's not that bad, dude. You faced the Upside Down!
no subject
He doesn't have time to respond either way before Eddie's putting that cushion down to invade on his personal space in that Eddie way of his. And yeah, he raises an eyebrow like, duh, obviously he means from ghouls and ghosts, and no he has no idea what saging a place actually consists of or how it's done — but he's going into this confident from the gate. ]
Well we're not in Hawkins anymore, right? So. I dunno, new place, new rules.
[ And just like that, Eddie's whirling around, and it occurs to Steve that he really does move around a lot — or maybe its more that he can't really sit still. (Has he seriously always been like that?) Who knows when you've only known the guy for about a week. Steve suddenly feels like he hasn't moved for too long so he takes a pace forward too, just to look like he hasn't grown roots or anything.
He clears his throat. ]
And it is that bad. We're dead, who knows how long this place has been around for, the layer of dirt on these counters? [ He groans. ] We have no idea what kinda grime buildup we're dealing with.
[ Holy shit, he sounds like his mom. Nope. Nope, we're scaling back on that. ]
But. Whatever. You're right, the shit we dealt with in the Upside Down was probably worse.
no subject
eddie watches steve with that amused curiosity, delight creeping into his expression at the confidence that steve harrington charges forward with. it reminds him of that 'no ifs, ands, or buts' attitude before he dove into the lake. ] New rules? Now we're going to do some rituals? Good thing I'm an expert.
[ and he keeps moving, looking over his shoulder at the counters that steve's talking about before he can't hold back a laugh. eddie lifts a hand to his chest, looking a bit scandalized. ]
Not the counters, Stevie! [ another laugh breaks out of him before Eddie has the decency to look a little more subdued, a little more sheepish even as he continues to tease. perhaps lucky for steve, eddie does give him a little space as he goes to perch on the edge of the couch, pulls one leg under himself and ignores the way the cushion beneath him seems to creak. ] I don't think the grime can kill us again, dude. Plus, what do we clean it with?
[ said like a man who doesn't clean often. ]
no subject
I dunno, they must have something in town we can pick up. [ He doubts it'll be the kind of thing he's used to back home: Downey and Pledge and Clorox, and all the other shit. But decent soaps and sponges, they've gotta have that, right? In a place where people's souls are stuck in a whole slew of different shapes and forms and time periods ... some Restless must have introduced Stygia to cleaners.
And again, he is really zeroing in on this cleaning thing; what the hell is wrong with him? Maybe it's the focus he needs to not panic because it's so mundane and familiar. Like a defense mechanism or something. ] But whatever, like I said, it doesn't really matter. As long as we have a place to sleep and ... keep our stuff.
[ Once they accumulate some stuff. ]
And we're splitting the chores, man. Half and half, okay? Grocery runs, errands, I don't know, all that boring shit. If we're doing this, we're doing it right.
[ Mom says. ]
no subject
then again, that's what happens when two bachelors live together and they share habits due to the fact one raised the other. wayne's not exactly a clean freak and they kind of orbited around each other most of the time, not really on the same schedule with wayne's job and eddie's schedule of attempting to graduate, dealing, write epic dnd campaigns, play in a band, and also tendency to fuck off every once in a while when things felt too overwhelming. eddie tries not to follow that thread of thought down the path, that one leads not to mordor but the dead marshes with their looming sadness. ] I don't think bleach will keep this place from falling apart or the spookies away if they want to get in.
Which bedroom do you want? [ he asks instead of pushing mr. mom's buttons and teasing him about it, even if he's amused. ] The one with the better view?
And sure, man, we can split stuff. But I don't do dishes. I'll trade you permanent trash duty. [ and ensure that pillow is never in the trash while he's at it. ]
no subject
[ He flaps a hand to soften the flatness of his sardonic remark, like no, it doesn't really matter, both views are fine, both beds are fine. It's not as though he plans on doing a whole lot of sleeping anyway. How can he, when they're literally surrounded by nightmare fuel? ]
Think they've got Hell Cable down here? Maybe catch some Hell News at six?
[ He's making his rounds through the kitchens, opening cabinets and closing them, shuffling through long-abandoned, squeaky drawers. He crinkles his nose at some of the smells and some of the garbage that'll need to be collected. It's so goddamned normal, Steve almost can't help but laugh. He thinks of a world where he did go to college and did wind up with a roommate in a dorm, and he wonders if this is anything like it. ]
Okay, sure, sounds fair. I'll do the dishes and you take out the trash. Yeah.
no subject
he's pretty sure.
the comment makes eddie snort. ] Maybe. The news at six would be more helpful than anything else on the whole 'Figure out what the fuck is happening down here front.' [ eddie adds in some air quotes before he pushes himself off the couch, pats some dust off his jeans. ] So far the locals haven't been that helpful, man.
[ which, he winces, remembering the whole soulmates thing he learned. right. how to bring that up? also maybe better not to bring that up yet?
he follows steve as he paces, staying a few steps behind before asking in a more even and careful tone. ] Dude. Are you okay? We don't have to clean it all up right now.
no subject
[ Has he already begun to set aside some of the shit he hopes to chuck into the trash without being consciously aware of it? Oh, uh, yeah, maybe. Shit.
He takes a step back from the counters and dusts his own hands on the fronts of his jeans. He can feel Eddie's attempts to be careful buzz somewhere along the base of his brain, or maybe it's under his skin, or maybe it's somewhere else all together, some place where soul-bonds are forged and it's not even a measurable thing, and it prickles something offended in him. It's wholly reactionary and has nothing to do with Eddie. Sharing this really, really close bond is going to take some getting used to. ]
No, do I look okay? Like, is this it? We get this place set up and we just live here? We're dead? Really?
[ He scrubs his face. ]
Sorry. [ And now he's probably being an asshole. ] Sorry.
no subject
[ like share with the class, steve. eddie's pulling all the weight here. which is something he cares about a lot less when steve snaps, brushes his hands down his face and looks more frustrated than he did in the goddamn upside down. that's sobering.
eddie swallows. ] You're fine.
[ he can feel that anxiety bubbling underneath his skin, more amplified than the near constant buzz that eddie had felt since chrissy started to float up off his floor and to his ceiling. it's sharper than his own usual anxiety, swirling around with thoughts that don't always linger or sometimes linger for too long and he has to get them out on paper in form of a song or a campaign.
this isn't him though, he thinks. which is-- which is something assana said. he clears his throat. ] I'm freaked out too, man. I don't want this to be it but until we know more? Might as well have a base camp to come back to before we venture out for more clues, you know?
no subject
No, yeah, yeah of course, you're right, you're right. A base camp. Yeah.
[ Back in Hawkins that had ... weirdly been Nance's house, so it begs to differ that without the Wheelers in this place, they'd have to find some place to come back to after a long day of intel-gathering. Yeah, it totally makes sense.
Eddie might feel the way Steve's initial freak-out (among many) has lessened to something a little calmer. Steve even comes back over to their makeshift living room and settles onto one of the couches. It's gross and dusty and those pillows are still hellaciously suspicious, but. He's keeping an open mind here. ]
Okay, so. The Reaper. Yeah — [ He runs a hand through his voluminous coiff, thinking back on when he'd first arrived here. ] — yeah, so. He said something about us being reborn here, and having unfinished business, and about keeping Oblivium back? Okay, that's obvious. Uh — honestly, Munson, now that we're here, I don't think he told me anything we don't already know.
no subject
( in that theoretical sense of it all. in practice, eddie's fucked; he's just as anxious and confused as anyone else. he spins to follow steve with his gaze and shuffles to lean against the wall opposite of the couch. there's nothing against it, they'll need to find something to decorate with since he doesn't think there'll be the chance to get a television.
arms crossed over his chest, he listens to steve and then nods. yeah. nothing really new. ) Shit, okay. Reapers aren't helpful and they're trying to steal our souls to use as money. Got it.
( he sighs, then grimaces. ) Assana told me some soulmate stuff but, uh, you can't get pissed when I tell you.
( nothing good ever comes after 'you can't get pissed!' does it?)
no subject
Steve straightens in his seat, and positions himself to give Eddie an incredibly pointed Look, the kind of expression that essentially spells out, 'out with it, Munson' in so many words.
So far so good, maybe. Maybe? He'll try his best. ]
What'd she say?
no subject
[ did he say that all as one word? yep.
he reaches up to scratch behind his ear in his mane of hair, rings getting caught on some of the strands so he focuses on pulling those out instead of the inevitable chaos he's blurted out and unleashed. ]
no subject
[ And say that slower. With spaces between those words, Munson. ]
no subject
eddie clears his throat and reminds himself about not running. the problem of being a runner all his life is that he hesitates, still fussing with his hair before dropping his arms to wrap them around his torso. ]
It’s… kinda permanent. [ permanent burden, apparently. steve is stuck with him and somehow eddie feels worse about that because it’s his fault for thinking he understood the whole magical world thing from losing himself in fantasy. now the only guy he knows here is more fucked than wayne; at least, before he died, there was a point he was going to get out of his uncle’s hair. ] Sorry.
[ he coughs after that one, trying not to feel awkward. wayne’d taught him that not all munson men were incapable of apologizing. ]
no subject
Oh.
[ He swallows, his shoulder slumping a little bit. It isn't even as though he's really thinking about Eddie being at fault, or Eddie being a reason for disappointment at all. It ... really isn't about him. Steve knows he has to reconcile with the idea of what a soulmate even is, and learn to shift his perspective or some shit. He'd been told as much. It doesn't mean the same thing here that it does back home.
But it's hard.
It's hard not to think about Nancy Wheeler somewhere out there, hopefully alive, hopefully thriving, but without him there. It's hard not to think of 'soulmate' and imagine Nancy's face and his stupid goddamned confession to her, like some lovesick moron who can't get over his ex. So the next word he lets out isn't intended to hurt Eddie, even if it might sound ... well, bad. ]
Shit.
[ And when he realizes how it might have sounded, he shakes his head and refocuses on the guy in front of him. ]
Sorry. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, it's a good thing that we're soulmates if it means not going crazy, right?
no subject
now he feels like shit because mr. romantic, who is caught up on nancy wheeler believes in soulmates as a legitimate thing, is chained to eddie of all people. not exactly how things are supposed to go. steve confirms that with the slump of his shoulders. ]
It's fine, Steve. Nothing to be sorry about. [ he waves a dismissive hand, trying not to listen to the hissing voice at the back of his head that reminds him he's shitty to have around. he lifts that same hand to his mouth, bites into his thumbnail, anxious. ] Yeah, it means no craziness but also means we'll feel each other's pain and intense feelings.
Assana said something about thoughts too which -- [ a frustrated huff escapes him. ] -- sounds crazy even if we won't be going crazy. I'm gonna need some weed or something like it to deal with all this.
no subject
[ Steve felt it. He feels more of it than he'd normally have to deal with on his own, so Eddie telling him that their bond allows the other person to feel intense emotion and ... pain? Yeah. He believes it. He believes it wholesale.
In fact — ]
Hold on. Maybe that explains this kinda pain I've been having in my leg. You were hurt there too, right?
[ He starts to reach down to pat at his leg by way of demonstration before the rest of what Eddie says catches up to the little cogs turning in his brain and then he straightens his spine, snapping to attention, his mind latching onto 'thoughts'. ]
Wait — wait, what? What about thoughts? Like, you can hear them? Or something?
cw; mention of gore
[ which is what steve just said but eddie repeats it kind of dumbly, looking down at his left leg. under the fabric of his jeans the skin is scarred and mangled, but not as torn up as it had been. it still looks gruesome and it still hurts most of the time, but so do his arms and torso. somehow, the scars on his neck and face healed better but those feel more numb than anything. ] Shit. Yeah-- yeah, that was hurt.
[ there's no light way to say, 'i'm pretty sure some of it was bat food?' really. so he clings on to what steve's focused on too, nods and tries not to wince. goddamn it, why is feeling so wired and jumpy now? ] For soulmates who are really close, I think?
[ which isn't a problem for them. they're barely friends right now? more two guys from the same place, older brother figures to a kid that's thankfully nowhere to be seen. that last one shouldn't be a problem. ]
no subject
[ He stares down at his own leg too, and then glances over in Eddie's direction as though he might see the same thing echoing back at him, full of answers and revelations unknown. ]
But it's something. Kind of like an ache, you know? Like when you bump into a table corner on your way to the TV or whatever.
[ He is trying so hard right now to not sound like an asshole, or to give an impression that Eddie's some kind of burden, because he isn't. He totally isn't. ]
Okay. [ Well, that's a relief at least. Eddie totally does not want to hear any of the thoughts (which, yeah! He totally has them!) in Steve's head. ] So we're ... we're good then. For now.
[ A beat. ]
You don't hear anything I'm thinking, right?
no subject
eddie's frowning at him, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed for a moment. that's not how he'd describe the pain that he's still not really used to, it's more of a constant tingling and pulling on his muscles like they're still working out how they're not all chewed up. his thigh cramps up a lot but if the worst steve feels is walking into a table, well, that sucks but it's not the worst thing.
eddie nods after a moment, swallowing and really wishing he had cigarettes. he wonders if the nicotine withdrawal is hitting steve too. that would suck balls. ] And that's all you feel? My leg?
[ ignoring that 'for now' that eddie's not sure he gets, he blinks and tilts his head at steve. ] No? Think about something random and I'll try to guess.
no subject
[ And here's hoping it doesn't get worse than that. It would suck to feel a withdrawal for an addiction he doesn't even have. Hawkins High had a strict policy about drinking and drugs if you wanted to stay on the team, and even after he graduated he kinda kept up with the routine.
But for now ... for now, he tries to think of something random ... and eventually his mind wanders to thoughts of home. Hawkins. Their high school, the strip mall, the shops and restaurants; all the rows of houses packed together in claustrophobic clusters to form the neighbourhoods he'd been raised in. His parents still live there. The Wheelers do too. And Dustin and his mother ... Robin.
Robin. The video store. He thinks about Robin, his best friend, the weirdest girl he ever met, and the coolest one too. ]
Okay. What am I thinking?
no subject
no one's tried to chase him out of town yet and the other people on the netherwork seem to have just as good of a chance of that happening to him as he does. things are kind of looking up if you forget the dead thing and eddie really hasn't forgotten.
this time when eddie gives steve a once over, tilts his head back as he narrows his eyes and appraises him. he can't really guess what steve harrington is thinking about, doesn't have a hint of thoughts in his head that don't sound like a version of his own voice.
so he defaults to what most guys their age in small town indiana would think about. ] Tits.
no subject
That confirms it at least. ]
The literal one time I'm not thinking of boobs, and you mention boobs.
[ This is a nightmare. ]
no subject
also, that's a lot of time spent thinking about boobies. is there any room for anything else left in that brain of steve's? ] So what you're saying is if I stick to the same answer, we'll never be certain that I'm not reading your mind.
[ does that make sense? eddie's not sure that makes sense after he says it but he's sticking to that statement with a deadpan expression. ]
no subject
And also! Also, like, Life Stuff! Obviously! His rapidly declining prospects for the future, his recent death, there is just so much going on in Steve's head, Eddie's lucky he doesn't have access to his thoughts.
But Christ. ]
Even a broken clock is correct twice a day, right?
[ And Steve scrubs his face, feeling ... weirdly embarrassed? He lets out a huff of laughter. ]
no subject
there are plenty of other things occupying eddie's mind. plenty of people, actually, but it's not like he's not also thinking about boobs a good amount of the time. he was but a mortal man, once. oh cruel, cruel world depriving him of any of those fantasies becoming more than that.
wait. is that his own embarrassment or steve's? eddie's not sure but he coughs, shakes his head. ] At least our minds are safe? Silver lining here after the pain thing?
Along with the not going crazy and preventing our Shadows from taking over? [ whatever that actually means. gotta take the wins where you can get them. ]
no subject
[ If there's one thing to be glad of, it's that their initial mistake provided them with protection against the darkness slowly seeping into their brains and possessing them like pod people.
But it does bring about a few more questions. Or a few hundred more, but he'll start with a few. ]
Speaking of Shadows ... has yours been doing anything weird lately?
no subject
he pushes off the wall he's been leaning on, tucks one arm behind his back and then cups his cheek with his free hand. ] Define weird here, Steve. What I'd consider weird or what you'd consider weird?
no subject
Steve glances around their run down, dusty, half-broken, unkempt hovel and thinks, Welcome to the Good Ol' Netherworld. But ... it really could be worse. ]
What any self-respecting person would consider weird.
[ So, it'll be Steve-weird but also Eddie-weird, but also literally anyone-else-weird. Or it should because it's a Shadow. ]
Does it speak to you at all? Does it show up unwanted? I dunno, man — never mind, it's probably not a big deal.
no subject
he can.
sometimes it's better not to play the jester, to try to distract with humour to ease the tension or draw attention from the uncomfortable looming thing in the room.
eddie frowns and wraps that arm around his middle, over where the demobats decided were the good meaty parts. ] Nope. No way, man. No never minds about the shit that could be a problem for the both of us.
It doesn't speak to me or anything. [ not much, anyway. not more than the normal levels of self-doubt he's sure everyone deals with. ] Sent a few fucked up texts though.
It hasn't done anything evil yet. Why? [ he bites into his lower lip, suddenly feeling like he should be worried about where this conversation is going. worried for steve because while eddie gets that soulmates are supposed to protect them from their shadows, he's not really fucking sure what their shadows are. not completely. ] Is yours being weird?
no subject
Because yeah. This kind of is a serious conversation.
There are too many unknowns in this place, and their Shadows are a huge one, all tangled up into their reason for needing a soulmate, but there's definitely more to it. And he's no Sherlock Holmes or whatever, so maybe he's never gonna be smart enough to figure the mystery out but ... he's got his questions. Maybe if he lets them out into the world, someone can help him find answers.
Eddie's smarter than he is at this stuff too, so maybe ... ]
Nothing any weirder than you've seen. There was the weird Soulidarity thing, and sometimes I think I hear something inside my head talking to me. Like, it's me you know, but it's not me. [ That harsh insecurity tends to have a point, even if it's a really dickish one. ] But are we supposed to battle those things together when we see them? Will things get worse the longer we stay here?
no subject
at least, not non-magical voices.
the thing is he doesn't know. which isn't new for eddie with most things in life but fantasy shit is supposed to be up his ally. except that he's also learned he likes the supernatural in movies, books, and in the contained space of hellfire instead of all around him. he does better with it then too. ] I think so?
If soulmates stop your Shadow from taking over then we're supposed to be able to help each other out if ours start trying to take over. Or do something. [ don't focus on the fact he doesn't really answer that second question. ] Stop it from winning because you go nuts if it wins and then... your soulmate feels it.
[ shit. he hadn't mentioned that yet, had he? eddie clears his throat. ] I can ask around to figure out what the fuck we're supposed to do to help. It's probably not like any of the books from home. It's probably better, you know, than trying anything out from good ole Tolkein's manual.
[ there's that babbling again. put him out of his misery and panic about something, steve???? ]